Traditionally different devices are used in the practice of dentistry, e.g., to view, drill, inspect, diagnose, and measure teeth. When one instrument is used and then removed from the person's mouth, the data collected can be saved but the references used in collecting the data (e.g., location of the instrument relative to a person's mouth) may be lost. If different instruments are incorporated into a single dental hand piece, the references can be maintained between functional analysis groups and greater accuracy and better treatment can be achieved. Different instruments, however, require different input powers, voltages, operating currents, etc. which can increase the risk of unwanted or harmful electrical contact between an electrical instrument and/or other treatment apparatus and a person to be treated.
Lasers are known to be useful in several hard and soft tissue dental procedures, including: removing decay, cutting, drilling or shaping hard tissue, and removing or cutting soft tissue. A tooth has three layers. The outermost layer is the enamel which is the hardest and forms a protective layer for the rest of the tooth. The middle and bulk of the tooth is made up of dentin, and the innermost layer is the pulp. The enamel and dentin are similar in composition and are roughly at least 70% mineral by weight, which is generally carbonated hydroxyapatite, while the pulp contains vessels and nerves. Laser radiations at a wavelength between 9.3-9.6 micrometer (μm) range are well absorbed by the hydroxyapatite that is typically a major component of teeth and bones, making such lasers efficient in the removal of hard tissue. Lasers in the above stated wavelength range and that have sufficient power for use in dental and/or surgical procedures can be manufactured at a low price to allow for commercial use of such lasers.
Lasers are known to be useful in the removal of dental material generally without the need for local anesthetic that is usually required when a similar procedure is performed using a conventional drill or bur. Moreover, lasers generally do not make the noises and vibrations that are associated with dental drills. At least for these reasons, it has been the hope of many in the dental industry that lasers would replace the drill because they may reduce the anxiety and fear generally associated with conventional dental treatment.
Various inspection and diagnostic tools, such as intra-oral cameras, caries fluorescence sensors, and two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) measurement scanners, are commonly used in modern dentistry. All of these instruments are generally placed one at a time in the mouth of a person and data are collected. When a device is removed from the mouth, some or all of the corresponding references and data may be lost. As such, each instrument may need to create its own reference orientation independently of the other devices used during the course of the treatment.
Operators (e.g., dentists, dental clinicians, etc.) may use a rotatable hand piece and bur. The dental hand piece and bur are typically used to remove enamel by mechanical shearing, providing the operator position and tactile feedback while cutting. The width and length of the rotating bur can be used to estimate position and depth of the cut, while pressing on the bur can provide tactile feedback. The rotatable hand piece and bur, however, do not provide any useful reference to other devices such as cameras, scanners, etc., and do not use any reference data from such other devices used in treatment.